Traffic is caused by cars. The cheapest, easiest, fastest way to fix traffic problems is fewer cars. More bikes means fewer cars.
And Doug Ford can't claim that it won't work in Toronto because it worked in Montreal.
That's not the dumbest bike lane law.
We recently got a bike lane near me. It is about a half mile long. There is little housing or shopping along it.
It doesn't radically impact traffic, because it was carved out of a turn lane, used for the few shops that are there. It's mostly business-to-business stuff, so it's not very busy. It does, however, mean that the bike lane requires a lot of marking, because it's right next to the travel lanes, and there are accesses through the bike lane to those shops. I have never seen a bicycle on it.
I am a big fan of bike lanes. This looks like a pilot project designed to discredit them. "Hey, we installed a bike lane and it turns out nobody uses it."
Whatever authorized that, that is the dumbest law.
News article about Ontario bill 212 - https://www.cp24.com/politics/queens-park/2024/11/25/doug-fo...
Good.
Roads should be used for maximum benefit to the public. That sometimes includes bike lanes, but from what I've seen, should not include rarely used lanes in poor parts of town for the benefit of a few people doing exercise at the expense of the actual residents ability to drive and park.
For those who cannot watch video:
The video criticizes recent legislation passed by the conservative government in Ontario, Canada, which mandates cities to get provincial approval before installing or altering bicycle lanes. The legislation also aims to remove existing bike lanes, particularly targeting Toronto. The Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, defends these moves by claiming that bike lanes cause significant traffic congestion, a statement the video creator refutes by presenting data showing minimal road coverage by bike lanes and negligible travel time differences. The video also highlights studies indicating that bike lanes contribute to business growth and increased safety, contrary to the government's stance.
The narrator argues that this legislation serves as a distraction from larger, unresolved issues in Ontario, such as healthcare, housing, and transportation, exacerbated under Ford's leadership. They suggest that Ford's focus on bike lanes is a politically motivated maneuver to rally suburban car-dependent voters by scapegoating cyclists, while ignoring the broader benefits of viable transportation alternatives. The video concludes by urging viewers to resist the legislation through advocacy and political engagement.